informed life consent

Standards.

The inadvertent complication of reinforced expectations, which usually manifests in adulthood.

Usually happens something like this: you get positive reinforcement resulting from something you've done, or society inculcates the need for a certain chain of events to occur as a result of some trigger. After this happens enough times, you have come to expect this same occurrence each time the trigger presents itself, which after a while leads to a perception that this is the basic need in this event. Similarly, this also leaves you subject to disappointment.

Example: The media portrays the perception that when someone is asked out on a date, the date needs to buy flowers; this leads to the expectation that flowers are a standard gift from a date when one gets asked out. With the rising prices of literally everything in the world (including flowers), good luck with that one.

This was originally posted on 2 February, 2016.

I'm sure this one will get me in some trouble, but let me know your thoughts by leaving your comments below!